compreendamos

Compreendamos is a Portuguese verb form, specifically the first-person plural present subjunctive of the verb compreender, meaning "to understand" or "to comprehend." It is used in subordinate clauses that express doubt, expectation, possibility, or a desired outcome, often after verbs or expressions such as espero que, é importante que, or para que. For example: "Espero que compreendamos a situação" or "Para que compreendamos melhor os dados." In ordinary speech, it contrasts with the indicative form "compreendemos" (we understand).

Etymology and morphology: compreender comes from Latin comprehendere, formed from con- "together" and prehendere "to seize, grasp." The present subjunctive nós form is built by taking the verb stem and adding the subjunctive ending "-amos," yielding "compreendamos." This spelling reflects the Portuguese root and its phonetic evolution, including the sequence of vowels after "pr."

Usage notes: Compreendamos is typical of formal or carefully constructed language and appears in instructional, persuasive, or analytical writing. In casual conversation, speakers may opt for the indicative "compreendemos" or substitute verbs such as "entendemos," depending on tone and context.

Relation to related terms: The verb compreender has related nouns and adjectives such as compreensão (understanding, comprehension) and compreensível (understandable). A closely related Spanish cognate is comprender, with the present-subjunctive form compreensão in some contexts, yielding a spelling distinction: Spanish uses "comprendamos," while Portuguese uses "compreendamos."